Even in the age of Trump, people are getting less and less news from television

Local TV is still more popular than network and cable TV.

Fewer and fewer Americans are getting their news from television despite what feels like a never-ending news cycle primarily focused on President Donald Trump and the drama surrounding his administration.

Just 50 percent of American adults got news “regularly” from television in 2017, down from 57 percent in early 2016, according to new data from Pew Research. Fewer people got regular news from cable TV, network TV and local TV stations.

Local TV is still a more popular source of news for Americans than either network TV (ABC, NBC) or cable news channels (Fox News, CNN), though local’s lead is shrinking quickly.

Just 37 percent of Americans got news “often” from local TV last year, down from 46 percent in 2016. Network TV’s regular news audience dropped by four points, and now 26 percent of Americans get news often from network TV. Cable TV fell just 3 percent, and provides news often to 28 percent of American adults.

But the data from Pew also helps explain why local TV stations are still attractive to big-time media organizations. Despite a shrinking audience, they’re still more popular than network or cable programming.